ROH champ Eddie Edwards talks ROH challenging TNA

ROH CHAMP EDDIE EDWARDS DISCUSSES RING OF HONOR CHALLENGING TNA, THE REASON FOR ROH’S SURGE IN NEW FANS, BEING THEIR FIRST TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION, AND MORE
By WorldWrestlingInsanity.com

The man who made Ring of Honor history by becoming their first Triple Crown Champion has now made ClubWWI history as the first reigning ROH Champion to join the Insanity. That’s right. Ring of Honor Champ Eddie Edwards, joins James Guttman on ClubWWI.com for a rare straight-shooting 33 minute interview about all aspects of his career!

Eddie addresses a ton of topics including the pitfalls of wrestling’s developmental situation, returning 24 hours after an elbow injury to compete in ROH’s Tag Ladder match, how that performance changed fan perception of him, how he and American Wolves partner Davey Richards are shattering the “only one partner can be successful as a singles star” stereotype, ROH’s diehard fanbase, his website at E-Edwards.net, and lots more. For a full list of topics, head to: http://www.worldwrestlinginsanity.com/am2/publish/newsnotes/ClubWWI_Eddie_Edwards.shtml

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ClubWWI.com members were surprised to see Eddie Edwards listed as the newest interview guest because, in nearly six years, World Wrestling Insanity has had very few Ring of Honor stars and never the sitting ROH Champion. But, as James Guttman points out, over the past few years, the company has seemed a bit more open to new eyes. While more casual fans may have been put off by the company’s cult following and hardcore fan base back then, it seems to be more accessible to new viewers today. James asks Eddie why that might be and he offers insight into how ROH is reaching out and making more fans feel like they’re part of the show.

“I think a lot of that has to do with the Internet pay-per-views we’re doing now. HDNet helped us out a lot with that too. Of course, we’ve gone our separate ways since then, but that was opening up a whole new market and a whole new area to show what Ring of Honor is and what we can do. Now with the Internet pay-per-views, people who aren’t in the area or can’t drive to shows have a chance to check out Ring of Honor as a live show on the Internet and that’s really helping out. Because, if someone can’t make it to the show, how else are they gonna check it out if they don’t have the resources or don’t feel like waiting for the DVD? Some people want to watch it live and I think the Internet pay-per-views have really helped out with the live aspect of it.

So with all those new eyes, James asks a question about a recent ClubWWI audio he did. In it, he made the case that it would be easier for ROH to overtake TNA’s spot as the #2 wrestling company in America than it would be for TNA to overtake WWE as #1. Guttman poses that question to Eddie and asks if ROH would need to make any chances to their product in order to make that happen or if they could continue as-is and rise to the next level. Eddie answers:

“I think it’s a legit thing that could happen. I think it’s a matter of our product getting out there and more fans – like you said before, there’s that sense that there’s that hardcore fan base that’s concentrated on Ring of Honor. Some fans might be a little sceptical or gun-shy to come on board. But I think if we put our product out there – have somewhere to put it out there – and show fans what we can do, we’ll have people jumping on board day after day after day, you know. I don’t think we would have to change our product and I don’t think we would. Just by saying “Ring of Honor”, you know what it is and you know what to expect. So I think we wouldn’t want to change what we’ve done. All the history that Ring of Honor has has been building up to this point and if we get that chance to go to the next level, it’s all been leading up to that point. So there would be no point in changing what we’ve done or how we got to where we are. Because we still have to go out there and show them we’re the best wrestling in America. I think that’s what would be what drives the fans to want to come see us and what we do. Once they realize what’s going on in Ring of Honor, people aren’t going to want to stop seeing the way we do it.”

JG then brings up a name from the past – Pedro Morales. Although most of Morales’s career was before his time watching, Guttman was familiar with Pedro’s accomplishments because he was the first Triple Crown Champion in the WWF (World, Intercontinental, and Tag Champion). Now, Eddie is ROH’s Pedro Morales as he’s become the first to hold the ROH Tag Titles, TV Title (the first one), and now World. He asks Edwards about this achievement that can never be washed away from the record books. Champions may come and go, but the first Triple Crown Champion is etched in history. The American Wolf agrees and explains the honor to ClubWWI.com listeners:

“It’s an amazing thing to accomplish because there has been so many amazing wrestlers who have been a part of Ring of Honor and still are today. To not only be the first TV Champion, as you said, but to be the first Triple Crown Champion – that’s also surreal. Winning the championship and then realizing I was the first Triple Crown Champion in history is another surreal feeling and an amazing accomplishment for myself and for Ring of Honor…You can’t change history. You can’t rewrite the history books. So no matter when you look at it, I’ll be at the top of that list. It’s pretty unbelievable.”

Remember, Eddie is just one of over 250 stars you can hear the moment you sign up for ClubWWI.com including Jerry Lawler, Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, Paul Roma, Stevie Richards, and tons more!